India services likely to be rescheduled
Although the exact results of the Delta-Northwest merger on flights to various parts of the world is yet to be worked out, airline sources said operations of the airlines to India could see a change.
Delta has a daily, non-stop flight on the Mumbai-New York route. Northwest, on the other hand, operates to the US with a stopover in Amsterdam. In a complex arrangement, Northwest operates its flights in a code-share with Dutch carrier KLM, which was taken over by Air France. Daily flights to Mumbai are operated by Northwest and those to Delhi are operated by KLM.
The marketing of flights on both routes is done by KLM. All three airlines are part of a global airline grouping called SkyTeam. In a press release on Tuesday, both the airlines said the new entity will be called Delta.
Aviation industry experts estimate significant changes in the shape of Skyteam after the merger comes through.
The Atlanta-based Delta has in recent years trimmed operations in India. It laid off about 150 employees, mostly ground staff and flight attendants, two years ago offering them a golden handshake.
In the new system, sales and distribution operations in India are now totally managed by the airline's GSA Interglobe. Ground handling of the flights is done by a joint venture between Delta and Interglobe.
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